AuthorTopic: Song Of The Week - If I Needed Someone (Read 2093 times)

nimrod

If I needed someone to loveYoure the one that Id be thinking ofIf I needed someone

If I had some more time to spendThen I guess Id be with you my friendIf I needed someone

Had you come some other dayIt might not have been like thisBut you see now Im too much in love

Carve your number on my wall andMaybe you will get a call from meIf I needed someone

- guitar solo -

If I needed someone to loveYoure the one that Id be thinking ofIf I needed someone

If I had some more time to spendThen I guess Id be with you my friendIf I needed someone

Had you come some other dayIt might not have been like thisBut you see now Im too much in love

Carve your number on my wall andMaybe you will get a call from meIf I needed someone

"If I Needed Someone" is a song written by George Harrison. Versions by the Beatles and by the Hollies appeared simultaneously, both being released in the United Kingdom on 3 December 1965. The Hollies version appeared on a single. Most of the Hollies' previous singles had been big top ten hits. When their version of "If I Needed Someone" only reached the lower half of the top 20 in the UK, they were quite critical and said they had made a mistake recording it. The Beatles' recording of the song first appeared in the UK on the 1965 album Rubber Soul and was later included in the 1966 North American release, Yesterday and Today.

"If I Needed Someone" was the only Harrison composition played during any of the Beatles' tours; otherwise Harrison sang only covers onstage. Hence, it is the first and only song written by Harrison performed by him in concert until the group disbanded in 1970. "If I Needed Someone" is one of only two tracks from Rubber Soul that the Beatles performed live (the other was "Nowhere Man")

Within a month of "If I Needed Someone" being recorded by the Beatles in October 1965 at Abbey Road, The Hollies' were brought a demo of the song by their producer Ron Richards, who in turn was offered the demo by George Martin. They recorded their version in three takes on 17 November 1965 in the same studio as the Beatles, and it was released by Parlophone on 3 December 1965, the same day as Rubber Soul. The single was released by Imperial Records in the United States in November 1967.

"If I Needed Someone" was the first George Harrison composition to be a UK chart hit, as a result of the Hollies' cover. Their version reached No. 20 on 9 December 1965, but by their standards it was one of their least successful singles. Many in the public perceived the song as the Hollies attempting to ride on the Beatles' coattails. Dismissive comments about the Hollies' track by Harrison, basically calling it "rubbish" in an interview with NME magazine, effectively stalled its run on the charts and led to angry exchanges between the groups

I really like this song too. The lyrics are just so George; just satirical enough. It's got a neat sound to it that proves that George could do cool things too. I didn't realize the Hollies version came out the same day as the Beatles'. I've always liked it but that release date was kind of a strange move. I'm trying to think; were there any other covers out at the same as the Beatles originals?

"If I Needed Someone" was the only Harrison composition played during any of the Beatles' tours; otherwise Harrison sang only covers onstage. Hence, it is the first and only song written by Harrison performed by him in concert until the group disbanded in 1970. "If I Needed Someone" is one of only two tracks from Rubber Soul that the Beatles performed live (the other was "Nowhere Man")

Given The Hollies successful track record up to 12/65 (their two previous 45s had been the No. 1 'I'm Alive' and the terrific 'Look Through Any Window') the choice by such a successful group to put this out as a 45 was a bizarre one.Indeed the b-side of 'Window' was the self-penned and brilliant 'So Lonely' - why didn't they hold that back for an a-side?

Someone asked whether it was common for covers to come out on the same day as the Beatles own version came out, and I think that it was - certainly the NME always had a crop of Beatles covers to review on, or at least very close to, the release date of their LPs in the mid-60s.

Logged

nimrod

Given The Hollies successful track record up to 12/65 (their two previous 45s had been the No. 1 'I'm Alive' and the terrific 'Look Through Any Window') the choice by such a successful group to put this out as a 45 was a bizarre one.Indeed the b-side of 'Window' was the self-penned and brilliant 'So Lonely' - why didn't they hold that back for an a-side?

Someone asked whether it was common for covers to come out on the same day as the Beatles own version came out, and I think that it was - certainly the NME always had a crop of Beatles covers to review on, or at least very close to, the release date of their LPs in the mid-60s.

I actually think it was a decent choice as for me the song is as good as something like 'Im Alive' but theyre version lacks something, like they didnt put theyre heart into it.....maybe like The Beatles version of How Do You Do It ? not really quite there.

Maybe they didnt really want to do it but were kinda forced/coerced by Ron Richards

Yes, fair enough, but my point wasn't about whether 'If I Needed Someone' was better than 'I'm Alive', it's that covering a Beatles song for a 45 was bound to (a) draw unfavourable comparisons, and (b) place the covering group squarely behind the group being covered. For such an obviously successful group such as The Hollies, this was a very strange choice in 1965.In 1963, I'd have understood it - The Rolling Stones covered 'I Wanna Be Your Man' in '63 but weren't fully established at that point.

In '66, The (largely successful) Pretty Things covered The Kinks' 'House In The Country' for a 45 - again a strange decision by all involved.

"If I Needed Someone" was the only Harrison composition played during any of the Beatles' tours; otherwise Harrison sang only covers onstage. Hence, it is the first and only song written by Harrison performed by him in concert until the group disbanded in 1970. "If I Needed Someone" is one of only two tracks from Rubber Soul that the Beatles performed live (the other was "Nowhere Man")